Project Overview
From June to August 2018, Naroman partnered with The Asia Foundation to develop PAS Timor (Plataforma Accountability Social Timor), an innovative web platform designed to monitor social auditing activities conducted by 22 NGOs across Timor-Leste. This digital solution was created to coordinate, track, and visualize civil society efforts to improve public service delivery through community-based monitoring and accountability initiatives.
About Social Accountability in Timor-Leste
Social accountability refers to the engagement of citizens and civil society organizations in monitoring government services and holding public officials accountable. In Timor-Leste, a country still developing its public institutions, these initiatives play a crucial role in improving service delivery in sectors like health, education, and infrastructure. The Asia Foundation's program supported a network of NGOs conducting rigorous social audits to assess service quality, identify gaps, and advocate for improvements.
Platform Features
NGO Activity Tracking
Custom database system to document and organize social auditing activities conducted by 22 participating NGOs across Timor-Leste's municipalities.
Data Collection Forms
Standardized digital forms for NGOs to input monitoring data and findings, ensuring consistency and facilitating comparative analysis.
Geospatial Mapping
Interactive maps displaying the distribution of social auditing activities, helping to identify coverage patterns and potential gaps.
Results Visualization
Dynamic charts and graphs illustrating key findings from social audits, making complex data accessible to various stakeholders.
Resource Library
Centralized repository of reports, methodologies, and best practices to support knowledge sharing among participating organizations.
Multi-User System
Role-based access control allowing different levels of participation for NGO staff, program coordinators, and the general public.
"The PAS Timor platform has transformed how we coordinate social accountability work across multiple organizations. Having a centralized system to track activities and share findings has significantly enhanced our collective impact on public service delivery."
Technical Implementation
The platform was developed using WordPress with extensive customization to meet the specific needs of the social accountability program:
Development Process
Creating this specialized platform involved several key phases:
- Conducting needs assessment workshops with The Asia Foundation staff and NGO representatives
- Designing the database structure to effectively capture diverse social auditing activities
- Developing the front-end theme and user interface focused on accessibility and ease of use
- Creating custom forms for structured data input by NGO monitoring teams
- Building interactive visualizations to present findings in meaningful ways
- Implementing multilingual support for Tetum and English content
- Setting up user accounts and permission levels for the 22 participating organizations
Training and Capacity Building
A comprehensive training program was essential to ensure effective utilization of the platform:
- Conducted 10 days of intensive training for 40 NGO staff members
- Created detailed user manuals in both Tetum and English
- Developed step-by-step guides for common tasks and procedures
- Provided hands-on practice sessions with real-time feedback
- Established a support system for ongoing assistance and troubleshooting
- Trained super-users who could provide peer support within their organizations
Impact & Results
The PAS Timor platform has made significant contributions to strengthening social accountability in Timor-Leste:
- Created a unified system for coordinating social auditing activities across multiple organizations
- Improved data quality and consistency in monitoring public services
- Enhanced the ability to identify patterns and trends in service delivery issues
- Facilitated evidence-based advocacy through reliable, well-organized data
- Increased transparency of NGO activities and findings for government and community stakeholders
- Strengthened collaboration among civil society organizations working on similar issues
- Built technical capacity within Timorese NGOs for digital data management and analysis